10+ Best Thanksgiving Desserts to End Your Feast

This Thanksgiving dessert menu features a little bit of everything: simple cakes with warm spices, no-bake options that help free up oven space, custard fillings tucked into buttery pie crusts, and twist-on-tradition sweets bursting with apple cider, pumpkin spice, and tart cranberries.

The Best Thanksgiving Desserts to Add to Your Menu

After the turkey has been carved, the stuffing has disappeared, and someone has already claimed the last of the mashed potatoes, it’s time for the grand finale: the Thanksgiving desserts! 

As far as my favorites go, I love serving a mix: something familiar like pecan pie or sweet potato pie, and something unexpected like a pumpkin pie dip or flaky fried hand pies. Each dessert is easy to love, easy to share, and honestly, often gone before the turkey leftovers are even wrapped.

No matter how many people you’re feeding, there’s truly no better way to close out Thanksgiving dinner than with a spread of these desserts. Let’s dig in!

Colorful Cranberry Fluff Salad

This is a classic that still earns a prime spot on the Thanksgiving table. Tart cranberries, marshmallows, and whipped cream come together into a fluffy, sweet side-dish-turned-dessert that tastes even better after it chills to room temperature. A great option for feeding a larger crowd.

Soft, Buttery Apple Crackle Cake

This sweet cake bakes into a soft crumb topped with a crackly brown sugar crust that pairs beautifully with warm fall spices. Serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce. If you have a sweet tooth like mine, you may also love this one with Dulce De Leche!

Warm, Buttery Apple Pecan Cobbler

This cozy cobbler is everything you love about a holiday dessert: soft apples, chopped pecans, and a buttery biscuit-style topping you can cut with a simple biscuit cutter. Add maple syrup and have it with a cup of apple cider. Just try staying awake after that!

Soft & Spiced Pumpkin Roll

There’s nothin’ better than a swirl of rich cream cheese frosting wrapped inside a soft pumpkin spice cake. This is one of those favorite Thanksgiving desserts that makes people forget you didn’t make a classic pumpkin pie this year. Oops.

Sweet & Salty Fall Snack Mix

Part dessert, part snack, 100% crowd-pleaser. The blend of sweet, salty, crunchy textures is a huge help when you need an easy option that can sit out all day without losing its charm. This one’s similar to our honey ramen snack mix recipe.

Soft & Gooey Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Maple Icing

Just imagine cinnamon rolls with a warm apple pie filling tucked inside: soft, sticky, and dripping with brown butter maple icing. They might not be traditional Thanksgiving foods, but there’s truly no better way to end the night…or start the morning after.

Golden and Flaky Fried Apple Hand Pies

These puppies give you the flavors of a classic apple pie, but handheld and fried to golden perfection. Filled with warm apples and cinnamon, these pies are an ideal easy Thanksgiving dessert recipe when you want pie flavors without the full pie dough commitment.

Maple Pecan Pie Recipe

Now, this one looks like a classic, but the moment you taste that maple-sweet, buttery filling, you realize it’s so much more. The maple syrup adds this deep, cozy flavor that makes the whole pie feel richer and warmer. 

Creamy, Delicious Pumpkin Pie Dip

If you want the pumpkin flavor with none of the baking, this is the recipe for you! This creamy dip is made with canned pumpkin, cream cheese, and warm fall spices. It’s perfect alongside cookies, fruit, or graham cracker crust pieces. It’s a fun and easy option for the holiday table.

Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts

Baked, tender, and coated in cinnamon sugar, these donuts bring that cozy pumpkin flavor in a simple cake form. A great way to enjoy a classic dessert without fussing with pie crust. Plus, when have you ever known of someone turning down a donut?

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

If you’ve never made sweet potato pie before, this one will ruin (in the best way) all the others! The filling is silky from the roasted sweet potatoes, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla, but the real joy is the streusel topping. It gets crackly and sweet with brown sugar and chopped pecans, adding just the right amount of crunch to every bite.

Easy, Soft, & Chewy Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

A blend of pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, brown sugar, and oats gives these cookies a perfectly chewy, warm finish. Wash ‘em down with a glass of milk, cider, eggnog, or a pumpkin spice latte!

Rustic Apple Pound Cake

Moist, buttery, and speckled with fresh apples, this simple cake cuts beautifully and travels well, making it ideal if you’re not hosting but still want to contribute something special to the Thanksgiving dinner spread.

Cozy Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

A hands-off dessert with soft apples, cinnamon, and a crumbly oat topping. Using the slow cooker frees up precious oven space, and the crisp stays warm for hours. Perfect for topping with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Blessings From My Thanksgiving Table to Yours

These desserts have a way of bringing people back to the table for “just one more bite.”So whatever ends up on your holiday table this year, I hope it feels warm, welcoming, and worth remembering. 

Happy Thanksgiving, and may your dessert plates be full, your leftovers plentiful, and your heart just a little fuller, too!